Miami's Malcolm Lewis 'wanted to cry' for Louisville's Kevin Ware

Watching Louisville play Duke in the NCAA tournament's Midwest Regional final, a familiar and gruesome sight appeared on his television. Cardinal sophomore Kevin Ware suffered a compound fracture of his lower right leg that'll go down in history.

It was one of the more grotesque scenes in sports, but Lewis could identify with Ware. Just last fall at Georgia Tech, the Miami freshman suffered a dislocated ankle that left his foot pointing in an unnatural direction. Coach Al Golden's embrace in those painful moments become iconic in South Florida.

Watching Ware on Sunday brought back some of those emotions.

"Yeah, it got to me," Lewis said Tuesday morning. "I wanted to cry. I felt his pain. I know it hurt him and his family and everyone around him."

As he continues his personal comeback, Lewis said he wants to reach out to the Ware family, but doesn't know exactly how at this point.

Lewis also said he felt a bit of pain in his ankle just watching the unsightly injury.

"It hit me so hard," he said. "I had to watch it again on YouTube. It was just a simple jump in the air..."

Lewis continues to work ahead of his recovery time. He won't participate in any full contact drills this spring, but is expected to be 100 percent by this fall.